DFC Academy: MU14 Update

Dundalk FC MU14s produced a strong all-round display on their travels to the Letterkenny Community Centre on Saturday, coming away with an emphatic win over Finn Harps.

The game began at a lively pace, with both sides looking to play football and move the ball well in the early stages. Dundalk opened the scoring when captain Finn O’Hara finished well after being picked out by Charlie Elliott, before the visitors added a second soon after as Gerry Sharkey converted from a Max Melaniphy delivery.

Dundalk started the second period with good energy, but Finn Harps responded with a well-worked counter-attack that was finished by Oisin McHugh to reduce the deficit. Dundalk settled quickly, though, and restored their advantage when Melaniphy struck home following a neat pass from O’Hara. Callum Mullen then made it 4-1 with a composed finish after good work from Mark Kolosinskyi.

The final third saw Dundalk continue to play with confidence and structure, with a number of well-taken goals added as the game wore on. Tony O’Kane, Mullen and Senan Keenan each found the top corner with excellent free-kicks, while O’Kane and Keenan added further goals and Ryan Tinnelly also scored twice to round out the scoring.

Shevlin Delighted

Speaking after the match, MU14 manager Ciaran Shevlin stated: “It was great to see such a strong performance so early in the season, especially as we’re still at an early stage in terms of finalising the squad and supporting the players’ development.

“Myself, Peter (O’Hare), Glen (Murray) and Ben (Matthews) were saying afterwards how fortunate we are to be working with such an honest group — lads who are willing to put the work in on the training field and keep pushing to develop and reach their potential.

“We also reminded them to enjoy days like this when you put in that level of performance, because football always brings its peaks and troughs.”